Cracks
by Monogatari Seeker
Summary: Lady Seras leads an ideal life in the London society. A loving husband, wealth and a recongnized status. However from time to time she sufferers from headaches and sees brief visions of a strange man. Sometime after her first wedding anniversary a foreign Count enters her life and they seem to become good acquaintances. But there is more to all things than meets the eye. AxS
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings Readers. **

**You now look upon my very first fanfic (atempt anyway). I've wanted to write some stories of AxS for a while now, but my inspiration has been lazy lately. I know how the story begins and how it ends, but the plot itself looks like someone had shot it with a shotgun... I'll fill the gaps as the story progresses, but I decided to get this story rolling now. I need motivation :P**

**Please note that I haven't done alot of story writing before. I'd appreciate reveiws and feedback from you guys :) Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Hellsing belongs to a guy named Kouta Hirano. Please support the official release.**

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Cracks

Chapter 1: Awakening

_Darkness._

_I'm surrounded by darkness._

_How long have I been here?_

_Where is "here" anyway? Have I been lost to oblivion? Or are these the dark corners of my mind?_

_I don't want to stay here. I try to move. Nothing._

_I try again. Suddenly I feel light. I feel stronger._

_What is that? A dim light. It's getting bigger. And suddenly I feel pain._

_Towards the light._

_The light that seems to hurt my eyes…_

Her eyelids felt heavy, but she managed to open them. Her deep blue eyes blinked a couple of times. First there was nothing else than white fuzz but soon her vision was able to greet a white ceiling.

She tried to say something, but her voice seemed to be stuck somewhere inside of her. All she was able to produce was a couple of quiet moans.

Frustrated, she decided to look around to get a clue where she was. She was lying on a soft platform, possibly on a bed. Just moving her head took a great toll on her strength.

How had she become so weak? Her mind was covered by shadows.

First she looked on her right. There was a brown wooden door with a golden door handle. Next to the door was a beautiful antique dresser. There was a mirror hanging on the wall.

When her eyes had finished examining the right side of the room, she turned to the left. Her gaze was blinded by light coming from huge windows. She let out a small grunt and her eyes began to water. When her sight adjusted she quickly inhaled in shock. Next to her bed was an antique chair and on the chair there was a man sitting. He seemed to be asleep though. He was leaning deep into the chair and his head was hanging to the left. Little voices of snoring could also be heard.

Who the hell was that? He didn't look familiar, though that wasn't such a wonder since the girl could barely remember anything at all. The man was probably in his late thirties. His hair was dark brown and a little ruffled. His features held hardness in them, though not to seem overly strict. He had a little facial hair, suggesting he hadn't shaved in a couple of days. He also had dark rings under his eyes. Otherwise he looked very smart. He was wearing a fine suit. A grey coat with a dark green vest peeking out. His cravat was pinned down with a golden pin. On his fingers he had a few crest rings. He must have been pretty wealthy. Her gaze stopped on his left ring finger. There was a plain silver engagement ring.

The girl was not at ease. Seriously. Who was this man? What was he doing in her room? Why was she there in the first place? What had happened? And why couldn't she remember anything?!

The girl felt like escaping. No way would she stay in an unfamiliar room with a complete stranger. She focused her entire mind and all her strength on moving her body. She was able to get her hands moving and she started to drag herself to the edge of the double bed by gripping the mattress. At the edge she managed to push herself up and swing her legs over with the help of her other hand. She was now sitting on the edge of the bed with her bare feet feeling the mattress on the floor. She pushed herself up from the bed and intended to walk to the door. Her legs however didn't move an inch and she fell forward. She let out a yelp as she hit the floor face first with a thud. Pain hit her head, arms and torso. Her legs only now started to have feeling in them. She started to grunt because of the pain. But soon she froze as she heard the man gasp and wake up.

"Seras?" she heard the man say with a hint of anxiousness in his voice.

The man peered over the bed to find the woman lying on the floor. Their gazes met. He had deep green eyes and his face was now lit up with joy. He walked pass the bed and knelt beside the girl.

"Seras! You woke up! Thank God in Heavens, you finally woke up!"

The girl raised her brow. Seras? Seras… She ran the word inside her mind. Suddenly a headache stung her head. It was over in a moment, but the girl felt like a veil of darkness had been raised from her mind. Well, a tiny part of it anyway.

Seras. That was her name.

Seras. She repeated the word in her mind a couple times. And every time the word brought her joy. She knew her name.

Seras. She wasn't completely lost after all.

She snapped back to reality when she noticed that the man was leaning out his hand towards her face.

"Seras, my dear Seras…" the man said with relief in his eyes as he lent his hand out to cup her cheek. He however stopped when he noticed that the girl flinched when he was about to touch her. He drew his hand back.

"Whh-hhhhhh… Whhho…" the girl stammered struggling to get the words out. The man's eyes widened slightly in surprise but turned soon to understanding.

The girl was getting frustrated again. She gritted her teeth and breathed deeply. She would get the words out. It shouldn't be this hard. She raised her head to look in the man's green eyes again.

"Wh-who… a-are… you?" she was finally able to say. The man looked little taken aback and soon there was the feeling of sorrow but also understanding in his eyes.

"You… don't remember?" the man asked. The girl shook her head.

"Well, this was to be expected. After what happened to you and after all this time…" the man said and looked a little taken away by thoughts. But he soon returned back to reality and smiled at the girl softly.

"I'm Sir Gabriel Knightwood. I'm your fiancé."

The girl just stared at him. Her fiancé? She was going to be married? Why couldn't she remember it? What the hell was going on?

Her gaze dropped down to her left hand. There, on her ring finger, was a silver engagement ring decorated with three diamonds.

She raised her head to look at him once again. He stared back at her lovingly, but there was a tint of an unknown feeling in his eyes that she didn't like.

But… it had to be true. Though this new information didn't bring her the same joy of revelation as her name did, the slight head pain was back and another shadow withdrew from her mind. It… was true.

"Let's get you back into the bed," the man said while helping his future wife up from the floor.

"Then I will help you fill the gaps you have in your memory."

"I… hardly remember anything," the girl said melancholy while ducking back under the soft, warm covers.

"Then we have a lot to talk about," Gabriel said with a smile as he sat back in his chair.

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_The doors of the castle opened one after another as the lord past through the rooms heading down to the Sanctuary. His black cape trailed behind him as he reached the stairs leading down. His long black hair covered his eyes but otherwise his face showed great determination. His eyes fell on the figure that he was carrying. Deep grief managed to twist his mouth in to a frown and his red eyes betrayed bitter pain._

_The woman in his arms was completely limp and she had her eyes closed with her blond bangs falling to her face. She wore an elegant white gown which he had changed on her before bringing her down._

_The man had reached the final doors, the doors of the Castle's Sanctuary. He stood there still as the locks came undone and the heavy stonework started to open. The room he stepped in was a big dungeon hall. It was completely dark except for the dim cold ray of light that entered the space through the window on the roof. There was an eminence leading to an altar kind of structure in the middle of the room. Shadows twirled on the altar revealing a coffin._

_Her coffin._

_As the man stepped up the few steps towards the altar the coffin's lid slid away. He placed her gently on the red satin and brushed a few of her locks off her face with his fingertips. Then he tenderly slid them down her jaw line. Her eyes remained closed and she didn't show any signs of life._

"_Sleep now, my love. Just sleep," his deep baritone voice echoed silently in the hall._

_He wore a bitter smile as his thumb brushed over her pale cheek._

"_I know you are too weak now. And there is no telling when you will awake," he sighed and dropped his head down. "It was my fault."_

_When his head rose again his smile had softened and his ruby eyes held tenderness and that same determination he had earlier._

"_I will be here. I will look after you and keep you safe. Just as I promised," he lowered his head until it touched hers'. He closed his eyes._

"_And when you are strong enough to return from the dark abyss I will be here for you. Even if it takes a thousand years. I will be here for you when you wake up. As you requested and as I promised."_

_He backed away and the coffin lid began slowly to slide into its' place hiding the girl from the world. The man turned and walked out from the room, this time with a face filled with suppressed hatred and anger, his eyes flaming with murderous intent. The stone doors closed behind him and all the locks closed as well, sealed shut._

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**Aaand there you have it. My first chapter. A little short if you ask me, but hope it was enough to spark interest.**

**'Till later**


	2. Chapter 2

**Greetings Readers**

**I'm back with the second chapter of my story... and it turned out to be looong. *sighs* At first I want to thank for the favs, the follows and for the nice reviews I recieved from this story^^**

**Now before we begin there are some things that I would like to explain about my story, hopefully making it more clearer for you readers. This is AU and happens somewhere in the late 1800s (I like historical stories :3). The beginning part of the chapter with the normal font is the main storyline and the second half with the italics is something that happened in the past. The flashbacks are not necessearily in a chronological order. I have planned to have 'themes' in the original storyline parts and the flashbacks serve as an add to that (though in this chapter the flashback is longer, I am sorry :P) I hope this won't be too confusing. Please forgive my grammatical errors (English is not my first language) and other errors (I don't know how coma works or how the English aristocracy is formed that well etc.). I try my best.**

**Also, since I know no Romanian and I don't want to mess with online translators (because of their reliability), in this chapter I have bolded the sentences spoken in Romanian.**

_"I'm speaking english."_

**_"Imagine that I'm speaking in Romanian."_**

**Whew, now that the explenation rant is over I let you move on to the story.**

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Chapter 2: The Lost Pieces

The blond girl stared at the plate before her. It was filled with gruel which didn't look appealing at all. As soon as she had woken up Gabriel had informed it to a woman who seemed to be a nurse. She had immediately brought her a bowl of that grey stuff and a glass of water. She had also asked Gabriel if the patient should be spoon fed due to her weak state. Seras had answered to that with an angry glare and by grabbing the spoon into her own hand. She didn't want to be babied; she felt strong enough to eat on her own.

Gabriel let out an amused chuckle and dismissed the nurse-woman. Just before she left the nurse placed a napkin on Seras' chest and said that she was going to report to the doctor about the event.

Now Seras was swirling the spoon in the gruel. She could tell already she wouldn't like the taste, but God she was hungry. She loaded her spoon with the vague food and lifted it into her mouth. She yelped as a part of the load dripped from the corners of her mouth onto the napkin. The girl let out a frustrated moan the spoon still inside her mouth.

"You want help with that?" Gabriel asked her. The girl gave a nod.

The man moved closer and pulled the spoon out from her mouth. He turned over to the plate and filled the spoon again. A couple of times he fed the girl with the spoon. Seras' face turned red from embarrassment. Gabriel noticed this.

"Don't feel bad about this my dear," he said while filling the spoon again. She was half-way done.

"It would be a wonder if your body would obey you flawlessly, after spending all those months in a coma."

At this Seras nearly choked on the gruel. She began to cough and she threw a horrified glare at Gabriel. He looked shocked and apologetic.

"Forgive me, I wasn't thinking. I wasn't going to drop the news on you like that."

He held the water glass for Seras so that she was able to drink. After Seras had finished she turned to Gabriel with a pleading face.

Gabriel put the spoon away and leaned back in his chair. He ran his hand over his forehead and let out a deep sigh. Then he straightened again and looked Seras with a serious expression.

"There is so much to tell you, since you don't remember anything. So I will start with the basics."

Seras nodded to encourage Gabriel to begin. She was anxious to know what had happened to her and where she was.

"Alright. Your name is Seras Victoria. The daughter of Earl Victoria and his wife Lady Victoria."

Seras found herself staring at nowhere in particular. Mother… Father… She felt pain but this time it wasn't coming from her head. She felt it in her heart. It felt sad.

"They were both killed when you were only six," Gabriel said with a quiet voice and took her hand into his own. Seras turned to look upon him and gave a soft smile.

"Since your parents' death, you were dropped out from the society for quite some time. I'm sorry but I don't know much about your childhood. You always kept it to yourself."

Seras blinked. "Hh- how… did we meet? When did we meet? How long have we been…" her gaze dropped down at the diamond ring.

Gabriel had a soft smile. "We have been engaged for nearly two years. We had already made some plans for the wedding, but then…" his smile vanished and his gaze trailed away, his expression looking dispirited and apologetic.

"You were in an accident, Seras," his tone was flat. "Your carriage fell over as another one hit it. You were hurt badly with serious head trauma, causing you to fall into a coma for six months."

Seras was twisting her hands on her lap. "Six months… Feels like forever for me," she replied with a silent voice. Gabriel leaned over and took the napkin from her front. He sighed.

The couple's heads turned simultaneously as they heard a knock on the door. The golden handle bent down and in came a tall man dressed in a dark grey jacket. He was well built and had sharp features. Only his curly dark hair and mischievous brown eyes didn't seem to add in the entity. The nurse-woman was with him, but she stayed outside the door.

Gabriel stood up. "Seras, this is Dr. Regal. He is my personal family doctor. He's the one who has been treating you."

Regal extended his hand to shake Seras'. To the young woman the man didn't look like a doctor at all at first glance.

"It's nice to finally be able to talk to you Lady Seras. How do you feel?" seeing his warm smile Seras couldn't help but to smile back.

"I f-feel just fine, thank you. But my body won't obey me correctly so I'm clumsy," she explained looking down at her hands with a pout. Regal looked at her with sympathetic.

"You haven't used your muscles for six months. It's not a wonder that the best edge in your movements is not there. But don't worry. With practice we will be able to get it back." He turned to face Gabriel giving him a meaningful look. "Now if you'd excuse me, I would like to examine the patient." He waved his hand for the nurse to come in.

Suddenly Seras felt uneasy about the idea of being left in a room with two strangers. To be examined by them none the less. Gabriel gave her an encouraging pat on her hand and Seras turned her gaze up to him. "I'll be right outside the door. Don't worry, you're in good hands. Regal knows what he is doing. This is just to make sure everything is alright."

Seras gave him a nod. Gabriel smiled at her and walked out of the room pass the doctor and the nurse, closing the door behind him. Regal set next to the bed and grabbed a pocket watch in his left hand as he took her hand in his right hand.

"Now, let's feel that pulse."

The examining took nearly two hours. Regal tested everything from her vision to her reflexes. The nurse assisted him and took notes for the doctor. When they were done Regal left with the nurse to make a training schedule for the convalescent. Gabriel was let back in the room and the two spent the entire evening talking. Seras had plenty of questions and Gabriel did his best to answer them.

First they started with the greater topics. They were in London in a private nursing home for those of long term illnesses and disabilities. Gabriel was recently pointed as a Duke and he lived in a grand townhouse in London. He was a big name in the trade business and his title was in particular given for his work. He had built crucial trade relationships both in the east and west, serving the Queen and country.

When all the big themes were discussed they moved to the smaller matters. His favorite food. Most annoying dance. Best newspaper. Favorite tea flavor. Light laughter was heard from that room a couple of times during the evening. In the end the patient asked her first question for the second time.

"How did we meet?" Seras asked. Gabriel blinked at her in surprise and laughed stupefied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry my dearest. I forgot to tell about that part didn't I?"

Seras gave him a smirk but after that her expression turned slightly longing. She had lost an important event of her life and she was keen to hear about it. She really wanted to gain it back.

Gabriel smiled softly and leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtful like trying to mesmerize something dear to him perfectly. His smile was something so warm that Seras felt a happy warm feeling inside herself as well. Head pains had bothered her through the evening but perhaps they were caused by memories returning back to her. Everything felt so much clearer when their discussion went on and she could remember. The shadows slowly withdrew from her mind and memories. She was happy about this new comfortable feeling she was expressing beside her headaches. Surely Gabriel was going to take her to a happy place.

"We met approximately nearly three years ago," Gabriel mused. Seras was listening keenly.

"I had just returned from my business trip in India. The ship arrived late in the evening and I was very tired. All I wanted was to get back home and to bed. I was so tired that I got lost in the city, can you believe that?" the Duke gave a laugh.

"Anyway the sun was setting and it was soon getting dark. I couldn't stand on my feet anymore so I dropped my luggage and fell to my knees. I had become pretty desperate. At that moment a sweet voice reached me, asking if I was alright. I raised my head and… there you were. Beautiful blue eyes gazing me with concern. Your blond hair swaying in the gentle evening wind. For a moment I thought that the Lord had sent an angel to help me."

The last statement made Seras blush and giggle slightly. Gabriel looked at her playfully insulted. "I really did. I was exhausted," he explained himself with a laugh.

"Anyhow you offered to help me get back to my home. You led me all the way to my townhouse carrying also my luggage. At the doorsteps I enquired your name so that I could later repay your kindness. You didn't want any money so I suggested going to a teahouse and offering you a meal some evening. We met later that week and… here we are."

The girl in the bed stayed silent. Despite the slight headache she felt nice. The world was full of stories of how two complete strangers met each other and begun a life together. That was the beginning of their story however. Their very own beginning and their very own story.

She would have to ask what all she had missed during these six months but now she was tired. The tests and all the information and recalling had taken its toll. Gabriel noticed her weary essence and rose from his seat.

"I think that should do for one day. We'll discuss more tomorrow when I come to visit again. You look like you could use a good night's rest." He leaned over the bed and helped the blanket over the young woman. He gave a heartfelt kiss on her forehead.

"I'm glad you are back, my angel."

Seras watched Gabriel as he closed the curtains of the huge windows. Her view however soon extended outside. A beautiful sunset had colored the sky with orange, pink and blue. She smiled.

* * *

_The girl watched with dreamy eyes as the fancy carriage stopped outside the local inn. Men in fine coats and hats stepped out and were greeted by another group of fine dressed men. Englishmen. Such a rare sight in Carpathia. In their village none the less._

_The girl blinked as she saw that one member of the English party was staring right at her. A brown haired boy, probably near nineteen. The thirteen- year-old girl backed away from the fence and ran through the village back home, her brownish worn dress swirling around her in the chilly autumn noon._

_She opened the wooden garden gate with haste, a gleaming smile on her face. The house she entered couldn't be called much of a house, more like a shack. But it was home. Home for her and old Lida. And it was enough._

_The girl closed the door made of planks behind her and leaned her back against it. She let out a relived sigh, the cold burning her cheeks._

"_**Heavens, girl! Put some more clothes on! I'm getting the chills just by looking at you!" **__The girl raised her head to see an elderly woman walking towards her from behind the kitchen table. She had a slightly wrinkled face and grey hair. That was pretty much all that could be seen from her since she had wrapped every cloth she could find in the house around herself. The sight was quite funny. It made the girl laugh under her breath._

_The older woman gave a pout as she wrapped a shawl around the girl. __**"Ooh, you might be laughing now, but wait until you catch a death disease. That won't be a laughing matter. Not for you or for me. And how I've tried to keep you alive all these years."**_

_The girl seized her laughing immediately. The woman blinked at her own words and looked apologetic. __**"I'm sorry. It's this weather. You know how it makes me grumpy."**__ She turned around and walked to the fireplace to stir something in the cauldron that smelled delicious. __**"Winter is on its way,"**__ she muttered under her breath._

_A sweet smile appeared back on the girls face and she sat on a chair in front of the kitchen table. The woman placed a bowl of soup and a spoon in front of her. The girl begun to eat as the woman still bustled around the kitchen._

_They lived a modest life. Their 'house' made of clay and puny timber consisted of that one room, acting both as a kitchen and a living room. The table nearly covered all the space at the center of the house. Lida had an extended corner with her bed and other personal belongings. The girl slept upstairs on a loft which acted as her 'room'. She slept on a straw mattress since they couldn't afford another bed, nor would it have fit in the tiny house anyway. Neither one of them complained however. Well, Lida did on occasions, but the girl knew she really didn't mean it. Lida wouldn't live in any other way._

"_**There are Englishmen in the village," **__the girl said, half done with her soup._

_Lida acted indifferent but she had a little smirk on her face. __**"Well, did you go and greet them?"**_

_The girl looked slightly depressed. __**"No. They would've probably chased me away with rods. I'm a peasant after all." **__She blinked as she saw that Lida was staring her with her brow raised._

"_**Not that there is anything wrong with that," **__the girl said waving her hands as the old woman took the empty bowl and put it with the other dishes. __**"There was that one boy though who just stared at me, like he hadn't seen a girl in his entire life," **__the girl mused with a slight frown on her face. __**"He was quite good-looking though," **__she added with a giggle and a slight blush appeared on her face, this time not from the cold._

_Lida rolled her eyes. Yes, the girl was starting to mature into a woman. And into a beautiful woman too, Lida was sure of that. That meant that soon the boys of the village would be running after her or she would be running after some young lad who she had set eyes upon. Probably also get her heart smashed since she was so good natured and a bit naïve as well. Then the elder would have to comfort her in her heartaches. And chase the other boys away with a broom. Lida sighed in defeat. Young people's love. So rash. So pretty. So much trouble. Only delicious at first bites. A flash that was beautiful to look at but was gone in that instant._

_Her thoughts trailed off when thinking about old and eternal love. Always full, changing its flavor once in a while but never losing its taste. A flame that could keep you warm forever or scorch one's insides so painfully._

_Lida blinked out of her thoughts as the girl was staring at her like she was crazy. The old woman returned to focus on her chores. Soon Romanian curses filled the air._

"_**We're out of firewood again,"**__ Lida muttered as she picked the few remaining twigs and threw them in the fireplace._

"_**I could go and gather some more," **__the girl replied as she eagerly stood up from the table. __**"I was planning to go on a walk in the woods anyways. I think nature is beautiful at this time of year."**_

_Now it was Lida's turn to look at the girl like she was crazy. The elder shook her head. __**"We should go on a trip together soon to gather a firewood stock. It's nearly impossible to find proper firewood from under banks of snow."**_

_The girl grabbed a scarf and wrapped it around her head to protect her ears. She thanked for the food and raised a backpack on her shoulders to gather the firewood in. Once out the door she could see that the temperature had dropped a bit. Her breath vaporized. When she was little she would have been exited. She loved winter, even if it was harsh on her sometimes. When her breath would become seeable she would play that she was a dragon that could breathe fire._

"_**Be home before dark. And don't venture too far up the mountain forests. There are all kinds of beasts lurking around looking for an easy meal,"**__ Lida yelled out the door. It was the same phrase every time the girl went on a walk up the mountains. __**"Otherwise I'll come searching for you with cats and dogs, you hear me?"**_

_The girl smiled reassuringly and waved goodbye to Lida. Then she took up the familiar path into the forest._

_She had to venture deeper into the forest than she had predicted since she couldn't find any twigs or branches lying around near the village. Guess the other villagers had already collected their firewood._

_Luckily she was able to find firewood near the stream that streamed in the woods. It hadn't frozen up yet and happy laps where heard through the air. The forest floor was covered by slight frost that made the girls shoes wet. She decided to rest for a while since she had been walking for hours and her backpack was really heavy from all the wood._

_She placed the backpack next to her and sat down on a rock next to the stream. Apart from the sound of running water the nature around her was dead silent. She had never ventured this far before in her entire life. Most of the villagers wouldn't dare come this high in fact, mostly because of superstitious reasons. They said that there was something evil living up in the mountains. The world may have advanced but here the old folklores still held strong in the minds of the local people._

_The girl sat there for a moment enjoying the peace and quiet. Just as she was about to rise and pick up her carryings she spotted something in the water, gliding down the stream. She extended her hands quickly to grab the tiny object, wincing at the gold water on her hands. She blinked in surprise as she opened her palms. It was a flower petal. Unlike she had ever seen before. It was smooth and deep red. The girl exhaled in excitement. Could this be a petal of a rose her mother had told her about? She had to find out._

_She left her backpack on the rock and started walking upstream. The chance of finding the flower was one in a million but she liked the idea of a little adventure. She would only follow the stream and turn back if she found nothing or if it became too dark. Thankfully the terrain wasn't unforgiving so her travel advanced pretty swiftly._

_Her hopes however died down when she reached the bedrock from which the stream began. The girl looked around but she didn't see anything red or something that would even resemble a flower. She mentally slapped herself for being so stupid. Nothing grew at this time of year. She was pretty sure that roses didn't even grow this high in the mountains, if even in the whole of Transylvania._

_She opened her hand to look at the flower petal. It was real. It had started to wilt, to turn dry and brownish but it was still real. And it had to come from somewhere. Perhaps a forest spirit was playing games with her. The girl dismissed the idea. She liked fairytales but never really took them by heart. That was for the silly people in her village._

_She turned around to return back to her firewood when she caught something from the corner of her eye. She moved sideways to see past the trees that blocked her eyesight. Her eyes widened._

_Before her opened a view to an old castle. It blended quite well in the mountain environment but there was a tall single tower and an ornamental frontage, though the high walls and creepy overlook gave the girl the impression of 'keep away'. She couldn't have cared less. To her the castle was beautiful. Perhaps her magical petal came from there? She jumped over the stream and started walking towards to castle._

_The mountains and the castle loomed over the girl as she approached the building with caution. She wondered if someone was living here. Surely they would know in the village if someone did, a person living in a grand castle like this one. But she hadn't ever heard of someone even mentioning it. Was it possible that the people in the village didn't know of the castles existence? Some people had gone missing over the years when they ventured too far into the woods, giving the tales of hideous monsters wings, but the girl had always blamed the feral beasts for the disappearings._

_The wall was taller on the east side of the castle with the castle's entrance. On the west side however there was barely any wall meant for defense, but the slope took a nasty fall down the rocky mountainside, almost impossible to climb. Almost._

_It took great effort from the girl to find a narrow passageway up the slope. With the last of her strength she cranked herself over the stone parapet that outlined the lower level. She took a few deep breaths, sitting down next to the parapet and eyeing around her surroundings. The pavement level she was on was in a quite good condition, hinting that the place might not be abandoned. On her right there was a stone stairway leading to the next level. She stood up deciding to move around in the castle stealthily, in case someone truly lived here._

_She inhaled in awe on the next level. It acted as a prospect terrace. The size of the terrace was vaster than the lower levels', so clearly this area was meant for social intercourse. There was a bench at the other end of the terrace, situated to for a breathtaking view over the valley and woods. The other mountains greeted the view at the horizon. Sun was starting to set behind the mountains, painting the sky with orange, yellow and pink. This made the girl snap back to the task at hand. It would be dark soon and she hadn't found her flower yet. She decided to approach the castle building itself and the area that seemed to be a garden. She took a quick glance back over the mountain prospect, sure that she would never forget the scene._

_An iron arch holding a dried up vine marked the entrance of the garden. The whole time while entering the garden the girl had this uneasy feeling. Like she wasn't alone. Like she was being watched. She found hasting herself since the place was slowly starting to give her the creeps, no matter how beautiful and mysterious it was._

_Every plant in the garden was covered by white frost and ice was starting to form on the water surface in the fountain. A dead garden. The girl frowned. Could she in any way find what she was looking for here? The whole quest began to feel ridiculous to the girl._

_She stopped dead in her tracks as she spotted something red in her sight. Multiple red, climbing up a brick wall. Dozens of big scarlet roses waited for her there, invitingly. The girl couldn't believe her eyes._

_She tenderly approached the climbing rose, admiring the deep red flowers in full bloom. How was that possible? At this time of year everything should have been dead, yet here she was, staring the beautiful flowers, colored with the red of temptation. Before she knew what she was doing her hand had extended to bend and pick up a single rose. It had big thorns, but the beauty of the flower itself expiated its harsh essence. She lifted it in front of her face and smelled it gently. Lovely. She smiled._

_Suddenly that feeling of being watched returned, fiercer than ever. She had forgotten it when she was admiring the flowers, but now it was too strong of a feeling to be ignored. The girl wondered if the environment was starting to get to her and make her paranoid. It mattered little. She got what she came for and she was ready to take her leave._

_When she turned around she felt like her heart had jumped all the way up to her throat. There was a dark figure standing in the garden. She could only see its silhouette, but she could make out that it was an exceptionally tall man. He was wearing a black cloak and his long raven hair was swirling in the light wind, framing his face and hiding his eyes._

_The girl stood there unable to do anything. Some part of her urged her to run but another part thought that it would be inappropriate. Her unease grew when the figure took a few steps closer towards her._

"_**It has been quite some time when a human has last ventured this far, trespassing on my grounds,"**__ the figure spoke. His voice was strong and warm but it also had a dangerous edge to it. The girl was left baffled. The man's essence was somehow threatening, even though he was just standing there and the girl couldn't even see him very well._

"_**Simple humans like you should know better. Did you skip your ghost stories, little girl?"**__ he took another step towards her. The girl found that she had subconsciously taken a step back. However there was nowhere to go since her back was almost hitting the climbing rose. The man spoke again. __**"No matter. I found a long time ago the best way of dealing with unwanted guests."**__ Evil intentions laced his voice._

_This made the girl grab the rose in her hands harder. She flinched as a sudden pain stung one of her fingers making her drop the flower at her feet. She glanced quickly down at her hands. A narrow red line of blood flowed down the side of her finger from the fresh wound. A rose's thorn had stung her._

_She didn't have the time to worry about a bleeding finger. The girl nearly flew backwards in shock as the man was in that moment standing right in front of her. She could now make out his face; strong features and pale skin. She could make out the fiery red eyes staring right at her from behind his long bangs. The corners of his mouth slowly twisted up into a sick grin, revealing two lines of white incredibly sharp teeth._

_The girl's eyes widened in pure shock. The voice in her head telling her to run was practically screaming now and she herself had no objections to the idea. She bolted from the spot to the left, running down the pavements unable to remember where she had come from. At the moment she was like a mouse in a maze with a cat on her heels. A monster cat. She just prayed she would find a way out. She heard deep rumbling laughter, his laughter. She couldn't quite make out where the voice was coming from; was it coming from around her or was it inside her mind. __**"What are you going to do?" **__it asked her._

_In her mind she praised God as she found the familiar terrace and quickly ran downstairs to the edge where the slope begun. Before she could have the chance to climb down she felt a presence behind her. When she swung herself over the parapet and turned around to look back she gasped in horror. The man was right there, reaching out for her._

"_**I have you now."**__ Those were the hollow words that left the mouth of that vicious grin and sharp teeth, his hands extending to grab her neck. As a natural instinct the girl leaned backwards to avoid his hands, but she started to stagger since she was on the edge. Her hands waved forwards trying to find something to hang on to. She briefly managed to grab his cape but she had already lost her balance. She fell backwards, tearing something from the monster's front._

_The man was stunned of this haste turn of events. He wasn't able to get a proper hold of the wobbling girl in front of him as her hands waved everywhere and nearly hit him in the face. He clenched his teeth as he felt something being torn off from his clothes. He stood there next to the parapet, watching as the unfortunate girl rolled down the unforgiving mountainside, shrieks and voices of pain coming from her. She stopped only at the bottom of the slope, her cries had died down and she lied there completely still. The man let out a snort as he watched her unmoving body. Then his gaze moved down on himself to inspect his chest. He nearly growled out in rage. In the hassle the girl had torn off the golden chain that was holding his cape on his shoulders. He would have to retrieve it. Even though he had plenty more chains in his jewelry boxes he wasn't going to leave a piece of his treasure lying around._

_To his surprise the girl had stood up and was now hasting back home as fast as her bruised body would carry her. She had survived the fall? He had to hand it to her. Perhaps his fun wasn't over yet after all. The man slid down the slope with ease and moved in pursuit._

_The girl was in the grip of panic. Her world had darkened for a moment when she had reached the bottom of the slope, but once gaining back her consciousness it told her to run. Run for dear life and never to look back. She had instinctively put the object in her hand to her dress pocket as she began to run into the woods. She knew he was after her. Her only hope was to make it to the forest stream before he would capture her._

_The chase through the woods begun. The monster still felt slightly impressed by the girl's spirit. No other human had been able to avoid his grasp for this long. Was it sheer luck? She ran fast for a human too though. He couldn't afford to lose his pray. Otherwise the human girl could tell someone about his existence and that would cause unneeded complications. She was wounded, tired and scared though and she was making awful lot of noise as she dashed through the wilderness making her tracking easy. And soon it would be dark, his prime. In the end this would be easy for him. She was already in his sight. He blinked in surprise as she made a sudden jump forward and a splash of water was heard. She also yelped. Realization made the creature frown. The forest stream. How could he have forgotten it? His kind couldn't cross over running water without assistance. What a disgrace to be stopped by such a petty obstacle. The girl had already climbed the opposite bank and was disappearing into the woods again, gaining lead. Luckily he knew a crossing place, but it was quite a distance away. He cursed._

_At the village old Lida had begun to worry about her foster child and had managed to alert an English lord. The man was just about to go search for the girl in the woods with his son._

"_**Don't worry, Miss. We find her," **__he tried to reassure the woman with the poor Romanian skills he had. Lida was bustling around hysterically which made the nineteen-year-old roll his eyes. His attention soon was moved to the outskirts of the town. A figure was limping towards them. It fell on its knees. His eyes widened._

"_Father, look!" he alerted the other two and pointed towards the figure. Both adults looked in the direction. The lord took off to the girl his son and the village woman quickly behind him, Lida bubbling prayers of gratitude._

_The girl felt exhausted. Was she safe? She was back at her village but she didn't have any strength to take another step. Her leg hurt. Her wounds stung. She felt utterly battered._

_There were people coming towards her. At closer observation it was Lida, an Englishman and that boy she saw earlier that day. The man started to inspect her wounds while Lida watched her with wide eyes._

"_**What ever happened to you, dear child?! You look like you were run over by a wild animal stampede!" **__Lida lamented with her hands over her mouth. The girl didn't have the strength to answer her._

"_We need to get her inside," the Englishman replied._

_Little did they know that they were observed by a pair of red eyes. The creature followed the movements of the humans while hiding in the shadows of the forest. He was in a foul mood. His pray had managed to escape him and now his way of un-life was jeopardized. He would follow the humans. If the girl would tell about him then he would be forced to wipe their memories. In worst case, kill them._

_The Englishman had picked the dilapidated girl up bridal style and the company was now walking into a house. Well, a shack to be honest. He merged with the shadows so he was able to enter the little home and hear the conversation. The girl was sitting on a kitchen chair, the man was wrapping a bandage around her ankle, the woman was cleaning the wounds on her face and hands and the boy was standing next to them observing the scene._

"_It's not broken, but I would recommend taking easy and not putting too much pressure on it for a few days," the man advised as he finished tying the bandage and standing up straight. He looked thoughtful when he tried to come up with the words to translate his sentence into Romanian._

"_Thank you, sir. I'll keep that in mind," the girl replied, surprising both the man and his son._

"_You speak English?" the boy asked. To that the girl nodded._

"_Pardon me but I would like to know what happened to you," the man asked politely. The essence in the shadows braced himself. The girl stayed silent for a while._

"_I went to gather some firewood in the forest. I ventured too far into the mountains and got lost. I also stumbled and fell into a hole. Pretty stupid, actually," the girl confessed. She translated it to Lida who in turn began to lecture the girl and complain in a long stream in Romanian. __**"I was worried sick of you! I thought you had been abducted or been eaten! And where did you leave the firewood?!"**_

_The girl turned back to the English visitors. "Thank you again. I hope this didn't cause you too much trouble." The man waved his hand in a dismissing manor. "Not at all. The main thing is that you are safe, young Miss. But now I think that you could use a good night's rest. Where do you sleep?"_

_The girl threw her gaze up at her loft. Her benefactor took the hint and carried the girl upstairs. The girl ducked under her simple blanket on the mattress._

"_Try to rest tomorrow. If there is anything you need, me and my son are staying the village inn," the man gave a last regard while putting his hat on and walking downstairs, leaving the girl to rest. His son gave one last look up to the loft and went after his father._

_The creature in the shadows also left to his own home. He was deep in thought. The girl had kept him as a secret. Why was that? Usually any human would shout to the whole neighborhood if they had found a castle in the woods and specifically if someone was threatening to kill them. Perhaps the girl thought that no one would believe her? Perhaps she didn't believe it herself either? He could sense her mind being in disarray and in the brink of shutdown when he was wiping her memories. It had been a hazard operation with his mind antics since he couldn't risk causing her to go mad due to her weak state of mind. He wasn't sure how permanent the mind wipe was. Either way no harm had been done. Moving silently in the night he decided to drop the case… for now. _

_The morning sun entered the little home through the windows and the tiny cracks on the ceiling. The girl managed to lie in such a position on her straw mattress so that a little ray of sunlight managed to shine into her eyes. She grunted and began to extend her limbs stretching herself. Her body hurt. Her leg felt slightly sore. And she had an uncomfortable pressing feeling on her hip that she was lying on. Why was that? Oh yes, she stumbled down a cliff. Or was it into a hole?_

_She went through the events of the previous day in her mind. That English lord and the boy who seemed to be the lord's son helped her inside the house and treated her wounds. They were very kind. She told them that she got lost in the woods. Had she? She remembered being terrified but being lost wasn't the cause of that. Somehow it didn't seem right._

_The girl clenched the sheet as she curled up under it. She was debating if she was just paranoid, if being tired and lost had made her mind play tricks on her. She remembered the stream. Something small and red. The mountains. The sunset. The horror. Something had happened, that was for sure._

"_**Hey, are you awake already?"**__ Lida's voice reached her from downstairs. When the girl shifted up she felt that nasty pressing on her hip again. Annoyed she reached out for her dress pocket and pulled the irritating object out in front of her._

_Her eyes widened at the sight of the glossy golden chain in her hand._

* * *

**I wonder how many of you are figuring out what's going on here. I try to avoid give aways but meh, perhaps I'm failing in my mystery. You won't be hearing any (intentional) spoilers from me so I leave you readers to speculate *evil laugh* I'm sorry that there was so little of main storyline in this chapter but it wouldn't come out in any other way.**

**Anyhow, I hope that you enjoyed. Please review, reviews are part of the fuel that keeps a writer going.**

**'Till Later**


	3. Chapter 3

**Erghghgsbbbxsnhhhh... *translation: Greetings Readers.***

**So exhausted. So happy. I finally finished this chapter. It's long... again... I hope you don't mind.**

**It took longer to get this chapter out than I originally would have wanted. I'm sorry, my first week after the second chapter was spent prepairing a school market event and I was quite tired. I planned to try and update every second week but this one streched itself. I'll still try to update every second or third week, it pretty much depends on my inspiration and motivation *the classes in school seem to drain them*.**

**I want to thank for the favs, follows and reveiws. If I don't remember to thank you for these things, know that I'm always grateful for support for my story. Makes me happy :3**

**Now, off with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Home

Seras stood in front of the mirror in her hospital room. The image of the woman staring back at her looked a little wilted. Her short spiky hair was in a slight mess and she looked like she hadn't seen daylight in living memory. It had been a few months now since she had woken up from her coma. She had done her rehabilitation exercises in the surveillance of Dr. Regal and had surprised everyone with her fast recovery. She had also been tutored about the happenings and important people in the country and abroad. When she had passed all the critical tests she had been permitted to return home. Now she was waiting for Gabriel to pick her up from the nursing home.

Her luggage was on her bed waiting. She was finally dressed in a common dress instead of the plain hospital gowns she had worn the last few months. Seras couldn't but feel good to be dressed in a regular outfit like normal people, but she had absolutely refused to wear the corset at first. The nurses had managed to talk her over it however and now the retched thing was tied tightly around her waist. She turned around in front of the mirror and looked upon herself and her new dark turquoise dress. She knew she would have to grow accustomed to the corsets. Her gaze moved to the blue eyes in the mirror. "It will be good," she stated to herself.

Her attention was drawn back by a soft knock on the door. There was Gabriel; dressed in his regular outfit and wearing a smile on his face. "Ready to go?"

Seras was more than eager. She felt like she had been living in a cave and was now going out for the first time. She quickly gazed out the window. She could see green treetops swaying in the gentle summer wind. She really wanted to get out there, out into the sunshine. "I'm ready," she replied to Gabriel, barely able to hide the eagerness in her voice. Her future husband laughed heartily.

Her sight was blinded for a moment by the light when they stepped out from the nursing home's front entrance. The light felt warm on her skin. The wind felt refreshing. Happiness and excitement bubbled inside of the young woman. Gabriel led her to a carriage; most likely it was his personal carriage. The base was painted black and it had gilded floral ornaments here and there. The seats inside were upholstered with soft dark red fabric. The curtains on the doors were the same color but with a slightly sheerer fabric. Seras sat on the seat facing forwards and Gabriel sat opposite her as they took off.

The blond watched in wonder all the people and bustling on the streets as they passed by. She wanted to start living normally as soon as possible. She felt like a child with the growing feeling of impatience inside of herself. Oh, when were they going to be there? Gabriel was taking her to his townhouse since she herself didn't have a residence due to her long time spent in a coma. They arrived in a less crowded area of the city, rows of grand townhouses on each side of the road. Seras wondered which one of them was Gabriel's; her future home.

The carriage slowed down and finally stopped. "We're here," Gabriel stated to his fiancée as he encouraged her to take a look out of the window. The colossal building loomed over them but it didn't seem too pompous or forbidding. The townhouse was made of reddish brown bricks and decorated by white columns and other floral ornaments framing the many windows. The property was outlined by an iron fence and the floral theme was continued on the front gate with iron leaves. On the right side of the gate was the number of the house and a name plate, spelling in golden letters the words 'Red House'. The Knightwood family crest was printed beneath the name, also with golden.

Seras gazed the building before her with awe. Gabriel stood behind her, giving her the time to take in the sight. He signaled the footman to unpack the luggage from the carriage and for the gatekeeper to open the gate. He broke Seras out of her daze. "Shall we go in? I'm sure you would like to see your room," the Duke surmised as he gently wrapped his arm around her and started to guide her into the big house.

The entrance hall nearly took the new arrival's breath away. The townhouse surely was impressing on the inside as well. The marble floor had a chess pattern and in the middle of the hall there was a round dark brown table with an imposing flower bouquet on it. A crystal chandelier hanged from the high ceiling. The entrance hall seemed to divide the house in half; to a right side and a left side. In the middle at the opposite side of the hall a staircase rose up to be divided in two, a great big window in the middle. The two separate staircases led to the upstairs level.

All the servants of the household had lined up in the front hall. They all bowed to their master for his return and Gabriel gave them a single nod in return. Seras felt rather timid to be standing in front of so many people and being observed by them. She met many gazes; some of them were skeptical, some approving and some admiring. Some of the housemaids were gleefully whispering to each other. The young woman's gaze turned to the footmen. Some of them looked a little vexed since the beautiful newcomer was of limits.

Gabriel stood next to her his arm still around her shoulders. He cleared his throat to present his fiancée to his servants. "This is Lady Seras Victoria. I have already let you know about her circumstances and that she will be living here from now on. I trust you all to take good care of her since she will one day be your mistress."

After the servants had quickly introduced themselves Gabriel dismissed them and to return to their chores. All except one. A single maid stayed in the hall. The Duke pointed her to come closer. She couldn't have been older than Seras was. She was rather thin and had pale skin. Her wavy black hair was tied in a bun. She wore the same kind of black maid outfit all the others wore, except her lace collar was a little different and she didn't wear a bonnet. You could see a little nervousness from her clear green eyes.

"Seras, this is Mave Porter. She will be your lady's maid. If there is anything you need, just ask Mave and she will see to it. She will show you around the house." Seras shot her head back to gaze back at him. Wasn't he going to stay? He was looking at his silver pocket watch in annoyance.

"I have a meeting with the delegates of the Chinese trade guild. It is an important contract and we cannot afford to miss it." He blinked at her letdown expression. "I will be back by dinner. That will give you time to look around and settle in, alright?" he tenderly asked her as he raised her face by her chin. She gave him a smile and a small nod. Gabriel smiled back and gave her a loving kiss on her forehead. He turned to Mave.

"I will be going now. You better take good care of her," he informed the maid as he put his hat on. The order wasn't harsh, but something in his tone made sure that the maid would suffer the consequences should something go wrong. The raven head made a curtsey to her master. "Yes, My Lord."

Gabriel took his leave and the two women were left alone in the hall. Seras was surprised as Mave gave a cordial smile and curtseyed to her as well. "Welcome to the Red House, Lady Seras. If you will I would show you your room now. I'm sure Henrik has already taken your belongings upstairs." Seras gave her a slight nod, her eyes never leaving the gleeful maid.

"Alright. This way, if you may," she turned on her heels hinting Seras to follow her. They took up the marble stairs to the left, walking past plenty of rooms. Finally the maid opened one of the wooden doors, encouraging the lady to step inside.

The bedroom held a king-sized poster bed with turquoise canopy, a drawer and a closet. There was also a couch for three in front of the window opening to the street. The blonds' suitcase was lying on the soft mattress of the bed. Seras was speechless.

"We'll have to do some arrangements when the time comes, but for now this will be your bedroom, and...," Mave walked past her and opened a door on the left side of the room next to the closet. "This will be your temporary dressing room." Seras followed the made and nearly gasped in shock. The room held more closets and drawers, a full-body mirror and a dressing table. The maid watched in slight amusement as her Lady awed over the room. "I'll show you the master bedroom and the Lady's dressing room. Now that's something to be astonished about." She blinked and nearly slapped herself in the forehead. "Forgive me, my lady. I'm getting ahead of myself. Is there anything you would like to have? Tea?"

Seras shook her head. "No, I'm content. I would like a tour around the house so I'll get a clue where everything is." Mave stood up in an attention manner. "Of course, my lady. Shall we begin at once?" Seras nodded to her to lead the way.

The duo spent the next hour and a half wondering around the house. Mave showed her every corner of the vast place; the grand dancing hall, the different parleys, the library, the kitchen and the servants' dorms. The only area Seras didn't want to visit yet was the master bedroom. She felt it wasn't her territory… at least yet. She was excited about other things. Right now they were passing the gallery. Seras was full of enthusiasm while exploring the great hall with beautiful oil paintings hanging on the walls and the impressive marble statues situated here and there. Mave shuffled right behind her, panting. "You sure have energy within you, if you don't mind me saying, my lady," she stopped to catch her breath while Seras still continued on. Both of the women's head shot in the same direction to look upon an antique grandfather's clock that was beating hourly.

"The servants will now start the preparations for the dinner. However we don't have to change to your dinner outfit just yet, though we should go and pick one up for you," Mave informed the blond. Seras had a little frown on her face. Changing for dinner. What was wrong with the dress she was wearing currently? Another custom she would have to get used to. But she still wanted to go outside and see the gardens.

"Why don't you go ahead and select a dress for me? I would like to take a quick stroll in the gardens. I have stayed indoors the whole day after all." Mave's expression turned panicking. "Don't worry, I trust your judgment," Seras laughed at her reassuringly as she head to the back door, leaving Mave stand alone in the gallery. "She trusts my judgment," she repeated to herself as she left for upstairs.

Outside Seras spread her arms wide open and inhaled deeply, greeting the sun. She had a wide smile on her face and she thought she could laugh from happiness. The garden was a nice peaceful place, with a single tree casting little shade over the area, an iron bench placed under the tree and some rosebushes in full bloom.

Seras stepped closer one of the bushes. She tenderly ran her finger over one of the rose petals. She loved roses. This she knew for a fact. Suddenly she whimpered as she felt a beating pain spreading in her head, unpleasant shivers running up her spine. What was this? She had felt similar sensations in the hospital as she had talked to Gabriel and the tutors and remembering things. Why was the pain back? The blonde felt like the warmth of the sun had suddenly disappeared.

Seras froze in her spot as she turned her gaze slightly and she saw something. A man. A tall dark man was standing in the garden. She couldn't see the man clearly since the image was quite fuzzy. He had a long dark cape and his long black hair was swirling in the wind. Before panic could grip her Seras blinked. The man was gone. It was just her, alone, standing in the garden.

Seras breathed heavily, wiping cold sweat from her forehead. Was it a… vision? A hallucination? Why? She hadn't experienced anything like that before. Perhaps she had bustled around too hard the whole day. She was still a convalescent, after all. Besides, sure it was time to get dressed for dinner. Gabriel would be home soon too. She headed back to the house, the roses swaying in the wind.

In the evening the couple sat down for their first meal together in a very long time. Seras was dressed in a simple blue gown decorated with black lace. Mave had complained that she didn't have much to choose from, since the lady's dress selection consisted of only three dresses. Gabriel had agreed and set it as a priority to commission new gowns to his soon-to-be wife. His meeting with the Chinese had apparently gone well and now he was eager to hear about her day. Seras had told him how they had explored the Red House with Mave. She left out the vision of the man she had in the garden. Light conversation was discussed over the dinner. Seras was cutting her chicken breast when she felt the urge to ask the question that had been plaguing her the last couple of months."So, um… what now?"

Gabriel took a sip from his wine glass and turned to look at her. "What do you mean, dearest?" Seras felt hesitant. "Well, I'm not sure if this comes too soon but I'm back from the hospital and I was wondering if we have any plans. About the wedding I mean."

The Duke looked at her surprised. "We did make some plans before your incident, but I thought that you would like to wait for awhile. To take time getting back in the daily rhythm."

"That was nicely thought of you, but I would like to carry on from where we left. To get back on the horse so to speak." She stared at the shredded piece of hen on her plate. "Besides, I feel that we have lost enough time because of my accident."

Gabriel looked at her sad expression. "We don't have any rush," he replied reassuringly. Seras turned to look at him with a certain and pleading countenance. The lord closed his eyes and smiled understandingly. He waved one of the footmen to bring the wedding documents.

Soon the man returned with a neat tied up pile of papers and placed them on the table next to Gabriel. The lord untied the string and begun to browse the documents. Seras was all ears.

"Let's see… the guest list, the tailor, the wedding dress design, the flower decorations, the invitation cards..," Gabriel enumerated as he went through the papers. "The reservation form for St Paul…"

At this Seras nearly spat out the water she had sipped from her glass. "S- St Paul? The cathedral?" She asked unbelieving. Gabriel nodded as he still went through the papers. "The one," he reassured.

Seras still couldn't believe it. "So… I guess it will be a big wedding?" Gabriel handed the guest list and the seating plan over to her. The young woman scanned them quickly. The list consisted of few hundred names. "The Queen?!" she nearly shouted. Gabriel looked at her like it was no big deal.

"I'm a Duke after all, my dearest. Of course Her Majesty will come to give Her congratulations to us. Nearly all of England's high society is coming," he stated with a hint of a mischievous smile, which soon disappeared. "Still want to get this engine running now and not wait?"

Seras stared the outspread papers that lied across the table. It would take a lot of work but… she felt ready and up for the challenge. She took out a blank sheet and begun to make a list of things already done and things to do. "There seems to be a lot of work so we have to take it in account when we select the date for the wedding," she mused as she wrote stuff down. The soon-bride-to-be grabbed more paper documents in front of her, surprising Gabriel. "The wedding dress seems descent enough, though I would like to make some minor changes if that's alright. And the flower decorations… Can we use both red and white roses? And my bouquet…"

Gabriel watched his future wife as she presented ideas with such innocence and enthusiasm that he felt her good mood starting to affect him as well. For the first time after many long months he felt excitement about what was in store for them. They were going to get married.

He quickly joined Seras in the conversation and they discussed the wedding arrangements the rest of the evening with some new ideas and some light laughter.

* * *

_The girl stared the golden chain before her. She had already eaten lunch and Lida had gone out to fetch some groceries. Right after the old lady had gone out she had climbed back upstairs again and taken the chain out from a gap in her wall. Now the piece of jewelry lied on her straw mattress with her sitting next to it. It had been three weeks since her incident. As soon as she found out she still had the chain she had hidden it. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even Lida._

_She remembered everything. The stream, the rose petal, the castle and the monster. She now realized that she must have accidentally ripped the chain from the monster before she fell down the slope. She didn't spend too much time wondering why she couldn't trace back her memories properly at first. Her main concern was what to do with the golden chain. It was a burden on her conscience and she had the strong urge to get rid of it… soon._

_The girl thought over her choices. She could sell the object. The income from the chain would provide meals for both her and Lida for many months. She knew a person who could possibly buy the item. But he might ask where she got the chain from. A poor thirteen-year-old girl intending to sell a golden cape chain would rouse anyone's suspicion. And what if the creature would come back for his chain? The idea made the girl shiver._

_Just simply throwing it away seemed like an awful waste to the girl. She felt like she shouldn't do it. So, perhaps she could hide it? To put it somewhere safe where she could retrieve it in case the time of need arise? Otherwise just simply forgetting she ever had it._

_The girl sighed sadly while she ran her tender index finger along the cold links of the chain. None of these options seemed right to her. She felt cheap and unworthy. She knew why._

_She picked the chain in her hand, already making up her mind. She shut her eyes, giving the chain a squeeze to retrain strength and determination._

"_It doesn't belong to me," she declared to herself. She would have to take it back. She would give it back. It was the right thing to do, no matter how dangerous or unpleasant it would be._

_She winced at the sound of the door shutting. Lida must have come back. Peeking from her loft the girl saw that Lida was downstairs unpacking and organizing the new jelly jars she had bought. Lida made the best of jellies from the berries she grew in her garden. It would help keep their bellies full and spirits up in the winter. Lida also sold her jellies to the other town members, gaining some pocket money in the process._

_The girl quickly slipped the chain in her dress pocket and climbed downstairs. __**"I'm going out," **__she informed Lida, wrapping her shawl around herself and taking her scarf. The elder woman threw a skeptical glare at her. __**"Don't worry, I won't get lost this time. Bye!" **__she reassured her foster mother as she shut the door behind her._

_The air was cold. It made the girl rub her hands for warmth. Winter was nearly breaking. She would have to return the chain to the creature now before the snow would fall and make traveling in the mountains near impossible. Many villages in the mountains were left in isolation during winter. Besides, if she completed her deed now she could forget all about it and live on her daily life. She had to admit she was a little curious about the creature living in the remote castle. Her self-protection instincts however told her to get the whole business over with and drop it from her mind._

_She had barely made it made it far into the woods when she heard a young male voice shouting. __**"Hey, look who it is!" **__Before she had the time to react she heard the sound of multiple running footsteps and her hand was violently yanked backwards. __**"Well well, what do we have here?"**_

_The girl raised her head to see she was surrounded by a gang of fourteen to fifteen-year-old boys. The leader of the troublemakers, Traian, stepped closer to her. Traian was the youngest son of one of the wealthiest family in the village. He was mostly a spoiled brat, but wasn't able to get the real loving attention from his family. They were more concerned about the achievements of the older boys, so Traian had gathered up a group of other troublesome boys of his age to boost his self esteem. The girl had learned a long time ago to stay away from the gang since they seemed to have a special interest in tormenting her._

"_**A lovely day for a stroll in the woods, eh, you rat," **__Traian circled in front her as the other boys chuckled in unison. __**"Up to no good? Or perhaps you finally decided to do something useful with your petty existence and feed yourself to a wolf?" **__More laughter came from the others._

_The words hurt the girl deeply. She however didn't want to seem weak in front of her bullies and she fought back her tears bravely. __**"My business is none of your concern so let me go!"**__ she demanded and struggled in the boy's grasp, only to wince at her arm being pulled up roughly behind her back. Traian stood in front of her._

"_**I don't like your face,"**__ he casually stated and signaled the other boys to search her. The girl bit back a cry as multiple hands roamed around her in search for something they could take. Dread exploded inside of her as she felt one of the hands reach for her dress pocket. __**"Hey, what's this?" **__one of the boys asked as he pulled the object out. The golden chain glimmered beautifully in the sun. All the boys ceased their actions and stared at the precious treasure. Traian walked closer and snatched the chain from the boy's hand, observing it. He turned to the girl._

"_**Where did you get this?" **__He hung the chain in front of her face. The girl stayed silent. She gasped in fear as Traian grabbed the collar of her dress and gave her a shake. __**"Where did you get this?!" **__he practically spat in her face. He flinched back as the girl gave him a furious glare._

"_**Give it back! It's not yours!" **__she shouted back at him. In return she received a hard smack on her cheek from Traian. __**"Nor is it yours. Where did you steal this, you thief?"**_

_Tears finally broke free from the corners of her eyes. She didn't want to be a thief. __**"I was going to return it. Can I please have it back?" **__The older boy looked upon her skeptically. He gave a nod to the boy who was holding the girl. The girl cried out in pain as the boy started twisting her arm. __**"Last chance. Where did you find this? Answer quickly before my friend here snaps your puny arm in two like a dry branch."**_

_The boy raised her hand up so she was practically hanging from it. She stood on her tiptoes but the boy managed to reach even higher with her arm. He grabbed it with both hands and started to bend it like he indeed was trying to break a branch. Soon she was shrieking in pain. She couldn't take it anymore._

"_**In the forest! I found it in the forest! In old ruins!" **__she cried as Traian signaled the boy to let her go. The girl dropped on her knees on the forest floor and sobbed quietly. __**"It's the truth. Now can I please have the chain back so I can return it where it belongs?" **__she pleaded as she raised her head. Her tormenter first held no expression but soon a sinister smirk twisted his face. He flipped the chain into the grasp of his hand. __**"No. First you will show us where you got this from. There ought to be more goods than this. Let's go lads!"**_

_Before the girl could reply anything in protest she was yanked on her feet and pushed forward to walk. Traian walked ahead of them, the other boys following behind surrounding the girl so she couldn't escape._

_The creature in the castle was sitting on his throne chair in the heart of his home, listening the solemn silence that filled the entire room. It was the way of his un-life. Days of battles and gore. Days of silence and solitude. Both were needed to balance the other. To create the deadly mix that was him._

_Soon the perfect silence was disturbed by his annoyed grunt. He was hungry. His regular blood supply bottles had run out a while ago. Perhaps it was time to go hunting. He hadn't gone out for a while to avoid rousing suspicion in the humans. A few peasants now and then, all blamed the mountain wildlife for the disappearings. He had decimated the numbers of the local villages quite frequently back in the day, creating folklores of a hideous bloodthirsty monster that lived up in the mountains. Even if he was nowadays considered only a myth, none still dared to venture up the mountain slopes. This had its advantages and drawbacks. It granted him peace and solitude but he had to go to the villages to get a bite to drink, risk of exposing himself to the masses._

_His head shot up as he sensed something. A group of people were approaching the castle. He growled annoyed. He didn't need meddling humans causing trouble in his corners. Or perhaps he could count this as a home delivery. Not many humans ventured straight to his home to be slaughtered and devoured. This could save him the trouble of traveling to a local village and pick a human. He phased into the shadows. First he would have to inspect his possible 'dinner guests'._

_He reappeared in one of the corridors in the upper level. While gazing out of the window he saw that indeed a group of people were now in his inner court. A group of young snotnosed boys were staring up in awe at the castle frontage. The creature snorted in disapproval. How the hell had a lot of dull spirited teens found his castle? He blinked in surprise as he spotted a familiar face in the group. The girl was with them. She looked battered and miserable. She gazed up at the impressive building, but was also eyeing nervously around herself. The group started to move to the entrance door, the boys dragging the girl along. The creature dissolved in the shadows once again. This situation needed to be dealt with._

_The intruders were now in the front hall admiring the high vault. The girl decided to take her chance while the boys were distracted. She bolted from her spot before her tormenters could react and she grabbed the chain from Traian's hand scratching him in the process. Traian yelped and inspected his wounds as the other boys were moving to chase after the girl. The escapee had managed to disappear in one of the dark corridors, only the sound of her rapid footsteps echoing from the stone walls._

"_**Let the rat go,"**__ Traian yelled to his group. His companions stopped in their tracks and threw questioning gazes at their leader. __**"It's no use wasting our time and energy on a little trinket the girl took. I mean look at this place."**__ He expanded his hands up to point the entire hall. __**"This castle must be loaded with treasure. Spread out and look for any valuables!" **__The group divided in pairs and they took on different routes through the gloomy halls._

_The girl had finally stopped her running and was now leaning to a wall for support while she was trying to catch her breath. She was grateful that the boys hadn't followed her. Fed up with the whole business she decided to leave the chain on a table or somewhere so the evil creature could find it. That would count as returning it, right? She didn't want to bump into him again and every moment she stayed in the castle she was pushing her luck. The boys didn't know about the danger but the girl couldn't care less. She was here to return the precious chain and that was it. After how the older boys treated her they could all rot in a gutter for all she cared._

_She started walking down the corridor to find a suitable place to leave the chain. Despite being in the threat of danger her nature got the best of her as she started to admire the gothic architecture and decor of the place. Even if it was death quiet and the iron candelabras seemed unused it was incredibly tidy. No cracking walls, the furniture weren't rotting or the tapestries frayed. No cobwebs or even a little speck of dust. It was dark and gloomy though since most of the windows were covered with heavy black curtains._

_Curiosity gave her the courage to open double doors in the hallway, leading to a parlor. She peeked inside but had some trouble to see due to the weak illumination. Her head shot back as she heard footsteps echoing somewhere. She quickly entered the room and closed the door behind her. If the bullies or the monster were coming this way she would have to hide. But where? She quickly ducked behind a sofa that stood next to a tall shelf. There she crouched for awhile until she felt it was safe to come out since nothing happened. As she stood up she turned to inspect the high shelf next to her. It was filled with books. When inspecting the backs of the books she noticed most of them were in Romanian. There were also some books which had language she didn't recognize. At the other end of the shelf a few books caught her eye with their familiar print. The girl couldn't believe her luck. These books were written in English. She eagerly picked one from the shelf. A book of poems. She would need more light if she ought to observe the text._

_Before she could walk to the curtains the door flung open. Startled she dropped the book to the floor. One of the boys from Traian's gang was standing in the doorway, panting hectically and his eyes rolling in his head as he scanned the room. When his eyes landed on her still figure they flared up with immense fury and despair that was close to madness._

"_**You bitch! You evil bitch! You led us to-" **__Before he could finish his cry a hand grabbed him from the back of his neck and the boy was lifted in the air, whimpers of fear coming from him and his legs kicking around helplessly. The girl backed away to the window on the opposite side of the room, her eyes never leaving the horrifying scene._

_The boy was turned around to face the tall creature holding him captive. The familiar grin to the girl appeared on the man's face and the boy started whimpering and struggling more in his grasp. It was futile. The monster's mouth opened unnaturally wide revealing all of his sharp teeth. A mere instant and those deadly objects were lashed in the boy's neck, ripping his flesh and spilling his blood. The unfortunate boy's eyes rolled back and his limbs were twitching slightly. The monster rapidly jerked his head down and a gruesome crunch was heard from the boy's neck. He fell limp in the raven head's arms. Soon the voices of glups filled the air._

_The girl stood frozen still while witnessing the scene. She was utterly shocked. __**"A-a vampire…" **__she silently stated. As the word was spoken the monster raised his head, his red eyes burning from behind his dark bangs and red sticky blood dripping from his chin. He dropped the corpse from his hands with noninterest and took a couple of unnerving steps towards the girl. __**"You…" **__his deep baritone rang out. __**"I didn't expect to see you again."**_

_The girl violently casted the curtains open and the bright rays of sunlight entered through the windows, lighting half of the room. The monster stood there compleatly still gazing the fine line between light and shadow that was drawn on the floor. He raised his head to look into her eyes, the sunlight shining upon her. For some reason the girl started to feel nervous again._

"_**Do you think sunlight will save you? You can't escape and it will be dark eventually,"**__ the man replied with a hint of mockery in his voice. The girl bit her lip. He was right. She became more uncomfortable as a deep chuckle came from the vampire. __**"Fortunately we don't have to wait that long." **__His voice had reached another level of deviousness. The girl felt her heart stop as the man took a step into the sunlight, nothing happening to him. Panic was starting to rise in the girl as she backed away, her back hitting the wall behind her. __**"Sunlight will do no harm to me," **__he was now standing fully in the sunshine, his handsome features clear for all to see. __**"I just simply hate it."**_

_He was looming over her, his essence oppressive. __**"What are you doing here, girl? And why lead a band of no-good stealing brats to my home?" **__He leaned in closer, noticing the slightly dark bruise on her cheek. He was in a vile mood, since the young bandits had gotten their hands on his silver candle sticks in the dining room before he made his presence known to them. A fitful place for his appearance. __**"Do you have a death wish, human, or are you just simply stupid? I can't tell."**_

_Despite the girl was frightened for her life she couldn't help but feel slightly insulted by his words. __**"I didn't mean to lead the boys here,"**__ she replied with a stern voice, all that was left of her courage. __**"They caught me while I was on my way here." **__The man raised a brow. __**"Why would you come back here? Last time you barely escaped with your life. How is it that you even remember?"**_

_The girl slowly reached for her dress pocket, the vampire carefully observing her movements. His eyes widened at the sight of his golden cape chain in the palm of her hand. He mentally slapped himself for forgetting it._

"_**I came to give this back,"**__ she extended her hand as a hint for him to take his chain. The creature just stood still eyeing the chain, then her. __**"Why?"**_

_His question made the girl blink her eyes. __**"Eeeh… because it's yours," **__she replied to his odd question. Wasn't he happy to have his chain back? The monster was still eyeing her skeptically. __**"You managed to take it from me. That means it belongs to you. Ever heard from loots, girl? I'm sure you could have put the money you would have received from the chain where your mouth is."**_

_The girl bit her lip. It would have brought much help to her and Lida. No! She had already gone through this in her head. Returning it was the right thing to do. She offered the chain to the man once again._

"_**Indeed, it would have brought me some relief in daily life for awhile. However, I don't want it. In my experience riches bring nothing more than tears in the end," **__she stated, bitter memories filling her head._

_The monster chuckled slightly. The strong morals of this young girl were quite amusing to the ancient being. She wouldn't even help herself because she thought the means were wrong? He finally took the chain from the girl's hand. __**"This answers my first question. It seems that you are just simply stupid, after all."**_

_The girls' eyes widened in disbelief. __**"E-excuse me?"**__ Was he mocking her? Why? He should be grateful. Anger flared up in the girl. __**"I went through a lot of trouble because that chain-" **__she started before the vampire cut in._

"_**Exactly, you went through a lot of trouble, even risking your life because of this little trinket," **__he swung the plain golden chain in his hand with carefree and noninterest. __**"I didn't even remember you had it. You could have kept it and sold it, I couldn't have cared less. Instead you insist taking the hard way around and ended up with nothing. And for what, to soothe your petty consciousness? Yes, that I would call stupid. Stupid and naïve."**_

_The girl was speechless. His words hurt her deeply. She began to shout at him. __**"I was trying to be nice and you throw it back in my face! Have you ever heard of friendly deeds?!"**_

"_**Friends?" **__the monster stated in dull and unbelieving fashion, like he had just heard the most ridiculous thing in his entire existence. Perhaps he had, since soon he was shacking violently with mad laughter, his baritone booming through the entire castle. The girl just stared at him. She was sure that if he continued any longer his lungs would come flying out from his mouth._

_After a few moments the man settled down, still chuckling slightly. The girl on the other hand had a death serious and somewhat a melancholic face as she stared in nowhere in particular. __**"I don't think that not having friends is a laughing matter," **__she stated hollowly. The man's grin faded immediately, first being shocked, then to an angry frown._

"_**I don't need a simpleton human to judge how I lead my un-life," **__he nearly growled. For some reason the girl didn't feel scared anymore. She wasn't sure what she was feeling._

"_**Leave. Now. I do not wish to see your face again," **__the monster stated coldly, turning his back on her. The girl blinked at him suspiciously. He was letting her go? __**"That's it? I just… walk away?" **__She jumped back startled as the monster swung around to glare at her. Clearly his patience was wearing out._

"_**Do you wish to add yourself on the menu then?" **__he asked harshly as he was pointing the corpse in the doorway. The girl lowered her head, choosing her next words very carefully. She didn't want to push it since she was already dancing on the knife-edge. __**"I mean… you're not going to do anything to my memory?"**__ She wondered if she was digging her own grave._

_The monster looked thoughtful for a moment. __**"No. I have already once tried to manipulate your thoughts and there is a limit how much a mind can take without sliding to insanity." **__He turned a threatening glare at the girl. __**"I'll let you go. It's up to you if you're going to tell the others."**__ The girl looked at him questioningly. A devious half-smirk appeared on the man's face. __**"You have witnessed what I can do. If someone else comes here to search the place or in a quest to destroy me, their demise will be on your conscience. Like the lives of the boys you led here today." **__The girl stared at him blankly. __**"You had no need to threaten me," **__she said silently as she walked past him to take her leave, the monster having his crimson eyes fixed on her. _

_The girl felt empty as she walked out from the gates. She was sad, but she didn't feel like sobbing. Perhaps she should have been grateful that the monster didn't kill her, take her as a prisoner or drive her to insanity. It was probably the only form of 'thank you' she was going to get. And what about the fate of Traian and his lads? Their families? She clenched her fist. She would never come back here again, as sure as the sun sets. "I did the right thing," she tried to comfort herself as she disappeared into the woods._

_Unknown to her the monster had watched her go from one of the castle's windows. When he could no longer see her he headed to the master bedroom of the castle, to his clothe storage room to be precise. The room was also weakly illuminated since there wasn't even a window to let the light in. That however was no problem to him. The room was separated in half by a sheer red curtain made of organza. His capes and suits were held in the wooden closets on the right also with a shelf with his jewelry boxes._

_On the left side of the room behind the curtain were more closets, also a shelf with more jewelry boxes than on his side and a dressing table with hairbrushes in a neat row. Last there was a round coffee table in the middle, a silver object lying on its surface. It was a sculpture of a dragon. The vampire frowned as he looked at the shiny object. He turned his gaze to his jewelry boxes. He selected a broad one made of oak and opened it. The interior of the box was coated with red velvet. A row of cape chains was attached to a ribbon inside the box, keeping the chains in order. There were golden chains, there were silver chains. Chains with jewels of different colors, chains with engravings on them. The other boxes held his numerous rings, cravat pins and cuff links._

_He looked at the lost plain golden chain in his hand before he set it back in its place with the others. Truth told it wouldn't have seemed like much if he had lost his chain, but for some reason he was glad to have it back. The man snorted since the young girl had been right about one thing. Indeed, it had been a while since someone had truly been friendly to him, he couldn't even remember when. The girl wouldn't survive long in the world with her unsuspecting attitude, but he might have gone too far mocking and punishing her because of it. In his world benevolence was a rare phenomenon._

_He sighed with half a smirk as he closed the box. Perhaps a little token of gratitude was in order after all._

_The next morning the girl woke up stretching herself under her covers, not willing to come out into the light just yet. Though the second meeting with the monster had shaken her and the population of their village had dropped slightly again, she felt content. There were no burdens on her consciousness anymore. Well, perhaps the cruel fate of the boys but to be honest they had it coming. The girl frowned slightly at her mean thoughts but she just couldn't feel sympathy for those who had bullied her for many years. Her thoughts moved to the vampire. He was mean. Didn't even bother to say 'thank you' for her returning the chain but instead mocked her about it. Even so…_

_The girl decided to forget all about it. It was over now and her life would turn back to regular. She pulled the blanket from over her head. She grunted at the light hitting her eyes and her hair was puffed and sticking in angles. When her vision adjusted she blinked in surprise at the site of red in front of her. She couldn't believe it. A single beautiful rose lay on the mattress next to her head. She gave a gentle smile as she took the rose into her hand and gave it a light sniff. _

"_You're welcome."_

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**Haa, next time it will be a big day for Seras and Gabriel. *turns on a tape playing the Wedding March* I'll get working on it as soon as possiple. **

***Motivation switches the tape and Seeker, inspiration and motivation form a conga line* ****Review, review, re-view. Review, review, re-view.**

**'Till Later**


	4. Chapter 4

**Greetings Readers**

**It has been over a month...? *ouch* I'm so sorry for the chapter's delay.**

**Explanation-spree short: After I posted chapter three I developed rhinitis and an entire week was lost fighting off germs. After that… I pretty much lost my edge writing this chapter.**

**That's what you get for promising to try updating on a regular basis. *screams karma!* But it's here now. Put on your best suit, you have been invited to an aristocracy wedding.**

**Note: I took the wedding liturgy from the internet, and I also skipped some parts from it since otherwise this chapter would have been too long (and I thought they didn't hold that much importance to the storytelling). There has been a jump forward in the flashback. And… I don't know if St Paul has side rooms (I have never been there). In my story however there is a side room, okay? ;3 Mystical side roooom…**

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Chapter 4: Matrimony

"Isn't it tight enough already?" Seras cried to Mave as the maid was tightening her corset. The vigorous flicks implied that the answer was 'no'.

"I'm sorry my lady. Just a little more. The wedding dress has to fit perfectly. You want to look astonishing on your wedding day, don't you, my lady?" Mave replied with an apologetic tone as she paused for a moment with the straps. Seras bit her lip annoyed.

"I do, but make sure you don't tighten too much around my chest. I don't want it to look like that my breasts are exuding from the dress' neckline," she warned her lady's maid. Mave giggled slightly. This flared Seras up even more.

"It's not a laughing matter," she stated in near desperation. "Nearly all of the heavyweight aristocrats of this country are coming. The Queen Herself will be there!"

Mave felt a little sorry the blond. Her mistress had dealt with the stress remarkably well during these few weeks of preparation but finally now on the big day she was starting to lose her cool. She had also had a few minor headaches occasionally. Though Seras had made some friends and acquaintances among the ladies, it was Mave that had been appointed as the bride's maid of honor. The two young women had formed a close friendship during the hectic weeks. Now it was Mave's part to soothe Seras as the bride's supporter.

"Yes, many people are coming but remember that this is your and the master's day. Please try to enjoy it." Seras stood still for a moment then nodded to her servant. Mave was right. Finally the long awaited day had arrived and she and Gabriel were going to get married. The thought of that brought a serene smile on her face.

Mave giggled again with carefree this time. "Pardon me, my lady, but I would finish tying up this corset. Then we can move on to the dressing. We have a schedule, remember?" Seras nodded again and raised her hands against the dressing room's wall to gain support. "Deep breath," Mave replied as she begun to yank the straps again. A few pulls and a couple of whimpers from Seras and the piece of women's clothing was tied securely around the blonde's waist. "Comfortable?" Mave asked as she backed away. Seras ran her hands down her sides over the corset. "I hate this thing." Both of the women giggled.

Mave signaled two other maids into the room to help with the dressing. First was the lady's hair and makeup. Seras sat completely still on her chair as the maids fussed around her, fixing her golden hair and adding some color to her face. Her hairdo was quite simple since her hair was short; it was brushed tidy and pinned still in a few places. They didn't even try to tie it up since Gabriel had stated he preferred her hair untamed since it suited her so well. A flower decoration consisting of a row of little red roses and some smaller white flowers was attached to her hair on the back of her head. Along with it they put a white veil with a lace edging. It was connected to the flowers and came down her back over her bottom. Her makeup wasn't strong, just something little to highlight her eyes and lips.

Mave gave the makeup some finishing touches while the two other maids brought the wedding dress into the room. Seras didn't want anything too fancy, lest not to seem like a huge cream cake, so they had kept all the laces, ribbons and other ruffles in slight minimum, still considering the era's fashion in the dress. The design was a corset type with a slightly broad hem, a dress train on the back with a big white bow. The neckline revealed her shoulders, her bosom tucked securely in the dress, giving a little lift but not too much to be scandalous. The sleeves were quite short, coming halfway her upper arm, and the cuff was decorated with lace that continued to her front. On her hands she had separate sleeves coming to her elbow, having tiny lace edging on the V-shape cuffs on the back of her hands.

Last they put on the jewelry. Gabriel had given Seras a diamond choker earlier that week. It was a family heirloom that his mother, his grandmother and great-grandmother had worn on the day of their wedding. Gabriel had wished that Seras would wear the necklace on their important day as well. She was honored. Along with the choker she put on a pair of simple diamond earrings.

Seras looked herself in the full body mirror. She couldn't believe it was her. She looked so pretty. Nothing like she had looked in the hospital all those months ago. She felt emotional as she stood there staring at herself and the maids admiring her. A few tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. "Please don't cry my lady," Mave pat her on the back. "Otherwise we'll have to do the makeup again." Seras gave her a playful pout and wiped the tears away carefully, not smudging the lining on her eyes.

"The carriage has arrived," one of the maids informed them as she was looking out the window. The bride and the maid of honor hurried downstairs, the latter helping the first with the hem as they came down the many steps. At the entrance one of the footmen handed the bouquet made of red roses to Seras and a corsage to Mave. The carriage outside was Gabriel's own personal carriage, decorated with white flowers and ribbons, not forgetting the empty cans tied at the back of the carriage to be dragged along to make noise. "Here we go," Seras stated before entering the vehicle. Mave followed behind and sat opposite her mistress. The carriage took off.

People had gathered on the streets to watch as the wedding carriage passed by. Some of them nodded in respect, some men took off their hats and some cheered. The men and the women. The old and the young. The rich and the poor. Mave smiled at the bride as the woman in question was gazing out the window in wonder. "You will have to get used to that you know, my lady." Seras draw her attention back and turned to look upon her lady's maid. Mave had a knowing smile on her face. "It's going to be like this with the master. He is a well know man and much respected and appreciated." She spoke with such enthusiasm. "They say your wedding is the event of the year."

The maid remembered her place and took notice that she might have unintentionally nerved her mistress. The bride had sat back in her seat, she looked pale and she was clutching her bouquet in her hands. "My lady, please, you're strangling the flowers."

Seras looked down on her lap. She tossed the bouquet aside and begun nervously twisting her hands. Mave bit her lip. "What if I'm not good enough?" Mave was startled by her mistress' sudden question. "What? My lady?"

"What if I'm not good enough? How can I be so stupid that it didn't occur to me before?" Seras muttered bitterly, twisting her hands even more fiercely. "I'm practically nothing. Sure I had a title, but I was a complete nobody for so many years. And I was also locked up in a hospital, I have sudden headaches and have gaps in my memory. And he is a Duke, for God's sake!" her voice sounded angry, tears threatening to break free. "I'm not exactly trophy wife material here!" she nearly cried, suddenly being cut of as Mave grabbed both of her hands, her green eyes staring keenly into her blue ones.

"I doubt the master would even want you to be one," Mave replied soothingly and reassuringly. "He wants you to be you. He said he prefers your hair like that, didn't he?" Seras grasped a lock of her wild golden hair between her fingers. Indeed he had. She herself preferred her hair short, though at that era short hair was considered inappropriate.

"He wants you. He loves you. I can tell. All those times he visited you in the hospital, even when you still weren't conscious…" Mave's sentence broke as her voice cracked. Seras watched her keenly. Her maid had a content smile on her face but the maid was fighting back tears. "He changed. He was happier, when he brought the news to us that you had woken up. He has been happier ever since." Mave steeled herself and looked upon her mistress with all seriousness. "Yes, you might not be the ideal aristocrat wife for a Duke, mind me saying, my lady. But master has been so much more at ease now that you have been with us at the Red House. He wants nothing else than for you to be part of his life and for him to be part of your life, too."

Seras nodded, a smile on her face and eyes watery. Mave looked like she was about to burst in tears too. "No crying, my lady. Remember the makeup," Mave stated, probably to herself as well. Seras let out a laugh and they both begun to wipe their eyes carefully. Suddenly the carriage stopped. "We're here," Mave replied while looking out the window. "You ready, my lady?" Seras stood up and stepped out from the carriage.

They entered the cathedral from a side door. The main entrance was crowded with common people trying to get a view as last of the high aristocrat guests entered the church. No one spotted them as they quietly slipped inside the building. Seras was left to stand nervously at the room from where she was meant to enter the main hall as Mave left for her place at the front of the church.

All the guests had already taken their seats and the building was filled with buzz of conversation. Gabriel stood at the very front, wearing his best suit and Dr. Regal at his side. Seras had been extremely surprised when Gabriel had appointed the doctor as his best man, but she herself had her own lady's maid as her maid of honor, so she hadn't interfered with Gabriel's decisions. Guess the two were quite close, Regal being the family doctor and all. Perhaps this was also Gabriel's way to express his gratitude for Regal for taking care of his future wife. Or perhaps he was there to be close at hand if the bride would have medical issues. Seras frowned at the last possibility. Despite her occasional headaches her health was perfectly fine. She wondered if their choice of supporters would be the next hot gossip in the society. She snorted. They could talk whatever they liked. Mave and Regal were good people and they had earned their places at this important day.

Gabriel eyed beyond the masses of wedding guests. He looked calm on the outside but on the inside he was quite restless. Guess it was normal, despite that he knew that everything would go smoothly and set into place on this day. The months Seras was unconscious seemed like a distant memory. No, nothing could go wrong. Little excitement however added spice to the event.

He couldn't help feeling anxious. Where was she? All the guests had arrived and the organist had played a couple of quiet hymns already. His gaze locked on the maid that circled from the side and came to her spot on the right side in front of the altar. She gave a small nod to her master that the bride was in place. Gabriel sighed content and gave the priest a signal to start the festivities.

The organ pipes rang out on an audible tone to catch everyone's attention that the service was about to begin. All the guests fell silent and the only voice heard in the church hall was the majestic sound of the organ.

Seras had also snapped into attention in her waiting place. She mesmerized the dress rehearsal. First the organist would play out a beginning hymn. She would enter on the second one and walk down the aisle to Gabriel. She waited patiently on her spot, trying to stay calm. The first hymn ended.

Gabriel was trying not to bite his lip as the second hymn started to play out, meant for the bride to walk in. If only she would come already. He could feel Regal's amusement. Gabriel Knightwood was the type of man not to be unnerved so easily, and yet here he was, trying not to shake like a leaf. A metallic click was heard from the other end of the church, implying that a door was opened. The Duke's and all the guests' attention was turned to where the noise had come from. His breath was taken away.

There was Seras in her beautiful white dress, taking small footsteps towards him. At first she was nervously eyeing the standing wedding guests around her, not being used to being the center of attention of a crowd that big. Fortunately she turned her head towards the altar, her eyes fixing on Gabriel. Wearing an eased smile she walked down the chess patterned church floor with grace. They had decided that since she didn't have any living relatives she would walk down the aisle alone without an escort. Gabriel wondered how many rules of tradition and propriety they were breaking but… they were an infrequent couple with infrequent events in their past. It was only fitting that their joining together should have some elements out of the ordinary.

Seras tried to keep a decorous pace while she passed all of England's highborn society. When she had seen Gabriel there, waiting for her at the other end, she had forgotten her nervousness and been reminded that this was her and Gabriel's day. Still the certain elderly lady-guest standing in an area reserved only for her at the very front, four guards standing close to her, set Seras to straighten up to imply some dignity in her essence. When she had passed all the guests making sure that no-one could see her face she silently motioned words 'The Queen!' to Gabriel. The man tried to chuckle as quietly as possible under his breath.

Seras had now reached the front. They were currently standing under the dome with under the blessing of the couple was bound to happen. She smiled warmly at Gabriel. He smiled back at her just as heartily. She looked absolutely beautiful. He nearly burst into tears when he saw the diamond choker around her neck.

Seras set standing beside Gabriel on his right, all eyes upon them. The hymn had ended, the guests sat back down and priest begun to speak, his audible voice echoing through the vast church hall.

"Dearly beloved. We have gathered here in the sight of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of…"

The voice of the preacher faded somewhere in the background. All seemed completely still to Seras. It all felt so surreal. She took a quick glance at Gabriel from the corner of her eye. He was watching the priest keenly, obviously listening to the message and taking it all by heart. She turned her face back forward, her lips set in a small smile, her tuning back to listen to the priest.

"The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God's will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord. Therefore marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God."

She was perfectly living in the moment. Past or future didn't exist. Somehow this felt life-changing. Suddenly at that thought her head begun to sting a little. She frowned slightly. A headache creeping out? No! Not in the middle of service. Not on this day. She tried to breathe steadily, hoping that nobody would notice her enervation. She didn't want anyone, especially Gabriel, to think that she was getting cold feet. She didn't have any doubts. She wanted to marry Gabriel. She loved him. She wanted to do this.

"Into this holy union His Grace Sir Gabriel Knightwood and Lady Seras Victoria now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else for ever hold your peace."

She felt cold. Sunlight didn't hold its warmth anymore. The church hall seemed so dim. Was she going to faint? Despite her head hurt slightly she didn't feel weak. She eyed the priest who had raised his head to look upon the crowd.

That's when she saw him. Again. The man from the garden was back, now standing next to the altar behind the priest. She was locked to stare back at the figure. She couldn't see his eyes, but she could tell from his expression that he was most unhappy. Even though she could not see his eyes, somehow she could feel his gaze upon her. It felt forbidding, demanding, pleading…

She was brought back to reality as she felt someone holding her hand. She turned her head at Gabriel; he was smiling and holding her hand in his. She eyed around herself. No one had said a word in objection. The shadowy figure was gone. She smiled weakly back at Gabriel.

The priest turned his attention to the couple. "Seras Victoria, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

When hearing her name Seras' attention sparked. She listened to the words carefully and pondered deeply their meaning. She felt hollow. She couldn't understand why. Why was this happening? The bride could feel everyone waiting for her answer. She raised her head to look into Gabriel's eyes once more. He started to look slightly concerned. In those green eyes she found her confidence to answer.

"I will."

There. It was done. Words could not describe how she felt that moment. Like something was lifted from her and the joy erupting inside of her brought her to smile at Gabriel. His response however made her slightly wonder though. He too was smiling warmly back at her, but there was a brief spark in his eyes, something that she would describe as… glee of triumph.

It was the groom's turn. "Gabriel Knightwood, will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

"I will."

After that they all sang a couple of hymns and prayed before it was time for their vows. Gabriel begun.

"In the Name of God, I, Gabriel Knightwood, take you, Seras Victoria, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

It was her turn.

"In the Name of God, I, Seras Victoria, take you, Gabriel Knightwood, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

Regal stepped forward. He was holding their two golden wedding rings. Gabriel took the one meant for her and slid it into her left ring finger, next to her diamond engagement ring.

"Seras, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." She did the same to him. He wasn't wearing his silver engagement ring so the plain golden one was the only thing on his finger.

After the rings were exchanged, the preacher set out to speak again, though this time both Gabriel and Seras didn't pay much attention to it. They already knew the truth and what this meant.

"Now that Gabriel Knightwood and Seras Victoria have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

The newlyweds leaned in closer to one another. There they shared their first true kiss, the crowd applauding in the background. Mave was stealthily trying to wipe away her tears, overjoyed by witnessing the happiness of her master and mistress. Regal was clapping too, wearing his characteristic impish smirk as he watched the young couple. The priest looked upon them too, happy to have joined another pair with the Almighty's love.

"Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder." He declared in a booming voice.

"Amen," the crowd replied in unison.

In that moment the church bells started ringing out, declaring to the whole city of the spectacular event. Only now Seras and Gabriel parted, feeling drunk from their happiness. "We still have to make it to the wedding reception," Gabriel whispered to his wife. Seras gave him a smirk. "Lead the way, then."

As they started walking down the aisle towards the exit the couple stopped before their royal guest. She was still sitting on her special seat, wearing her usual dark dress despite the happy event. Both Gabriel and Seras bowed before their sovereign. "Congratulations, your Grace," she replied to the Duke.

"I'm glad and honored that your Majesty was able come," Gabriel quoted with respect. He knew how busy the Queen was and how she felt about public affairs. The Queen waved her hand dismissively. "It was the least We could do. You have served this country well, Sir Knightwood." Gabriel felt humbled. Like granting him the status of 'Duke' wasn't enough as a token of gratitude. "Besides," her Majesty continued, "We ought to go out more to be ventilated." Both the Duke and the Queen chuckled briefly together.

Her attention was then drawn to the bride. "I'm sure young Lady Knightwood will turn out to be a remarkable Duchess." Seras was left baffled. "Thank you, your Majesty. I will do my very best to be a good wife." She was trying to make the words come smoothly, afraid that they would come too fast or be stuck in her throat. The Queen gave her a simple smile and a nod. "Now don't let Us to disturb you any further," her Majesty replied kindly to the newlyweds. "Your day isn't over yet."

The couple bowed one last time before they turned back to exit the church, side by side. As they were walking Gabriel couldn't help but notice Seras' gobsmacked expression. "What is it?" he asked curious. "Duchess..," Seras stated bluntly. Gabriel began to laugh. Perhaps reality had started to sink in to his wife. It must have been a real blow, hear it from the Queen none the less. They kept walking past the guests, the pipe organs playing out the final hymn and the bells still booming in the tower, Seras trying to wrap her mind around things.

Outside they were greeted by a cheering crowd, sunshine and flying white rose petals and shredded paper. Their carriage was standing at the bottom of the cathedral's entrance stairs. A gentle breath of wind blew over them. "It's a truly beautiful day, isn't it, your Grace, Lady Seras Knightwood?" Gabriel asked tenderly. Seras turned her face from the crowd to her husband. Her name…

"Yes… Yes it is," she replied back, her gaze turning to nowhere in particular.

"Now if you please, the wedding photo," a man yelled at them from the stairs, his camera already in place. This alerted Seras and she flew a questioning look at her husband. "I thought it would be nice to have a remembrance of this day," he shrugged his shoulders playfully. Seras sighed with a warm smirk and they both moved into place in front of the camera, standing side by side with Seras on the left, her hand wrapped around Gabriel's arm, both of them smiling.

"That's it, marvelous, your Grace! Now please try staying completely still," the photographer yelled instructions at them while he disappeared under the cloth attached to the camera and holding the flash up high.

"Readyyy!"

Flash.

* * *

_The girl sat in silence on the bench on the Castle's parapet. The sunset was stunning again, but her mind was preoccupied by other matters. She had taken his blood, becoming free of him. He was no longer her master. She was no longer his servant. No longer a simple fledgling. She was a free nightwalker, a true No-Life King of her own right. That was a week ago._

_And now, she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. She and her former master had been in awkward silence that entire week, barely seeing each other at all. Guess he was giving her some space to think, knowing of her inner turmoil. His absence however didn't help her case._

_What should she do? Should she go? Should she stay? At the moment she felt out of place, like drifting along with no certain destination. Would she dare try spreading her wings and live her life on her own in the night? She was still very young considering. It had only been three years since… it happened. And yet she looked just the same as she did three years ago. Like a young adult. Time would have no influence on her looks anymore. Could she cope out there in the cruel world? Despite her young age and lack of experience she had all the potential to survive, perhaps even one day to be feared and respected. But that day would be in the distant future. And no matter how much she would develop, she would perhaps never be even close to something like him._

_That exact fact was one of the main reasons why she doubted to stay. She wasn't sure if she was enough for him. Becoming powerful in the world was one thing, but becoming powerful enough to deserve to be at his side…_

_The other reason was that he had already shared a Mate bond with someone else. What had happened to her? He had once said that forming a Mate bond with someone was a union beyond comprehension, except for those who had actually felt it and shared it with someone. Why was he alone then? Wasn't the bond so everlasting after all?_

_She buried her face in her hands. This whole situation frustrated her._

"_**Then there's two of us."**__ She sprang around. He was standing there beside her. His black locks hanged around on his shoulders in the wild manner they always did. The expression on that pale face was a mix of seriousness and annoyance._

"_First with the blood and now this? Why is there always something holding you back?" he switched to English. They had used English all these years in their conversations. She had asked for it and now it was their thing. She felt always when he spoke to her in English that his words were meant only for her._

_He sat beside her on the stone bench. She turned her head away. He was here to lecture her? Great. He kept eyeing her for a short while. When she just stayed silent he let out a snort._

"_I believe there is a Chinese saying stating something like: 'If you keep considering your next step for too long, you will spend your entire life standing on only one leg'…" he started to taunt her._

"_I know!" she snapped out surprising him. "I just…" her voice broke and she turned away again. "Since when have you noted the Chinese wisdom of life?" she added questioningly, perhaps hoping to taunt him back._

_He just straightened himself in a stretching manner. "Like I said to you years back; I'm a person with a long existence and a lot of time on my hands." His answer made her snort._

"_Despite that you lack patience," she muttered. He watched her from the corner of his eye._

"_I have patience… in some matters. I've had patience with you. The drawn line I set for you and this matter has been reached, that is all," he stated to her. "Otherwise we would both stay here in awkward silence avoiding each other until the mountains crumble and Christ pays this world His final visit."_

_She clenched her fists. Why did he have to be so snide at times? "Just because I can't decide now, doesn't mean that I wouldn't ever decide. There is just… a lot on my mind…"_

"_If this is all about questions and answers I'll happily grant you answers if it helps you to decide," he declared lightly. "Is this what has been holding you back? You could have always come and talk to me. You know I don't mind you."_

_She just stared at him and mentally cursed him. It was just that simple to him? Alright. She would get rid of all her questions. Clear the plate. She stared back in his red eyes with her own red orbs._

"_You said when a vampire Mates with another one, that bond is unbreakable. If that's so, where is your Mate? I know you had someone…once," she asked little annoyed. She was taken aback by the surprised and pained expression on his face. He was silent, pondering his next words very carefully._

_Such a question had taken him off guard. He didn't like speaking of his previous Mate, long lost to him. So far he had tried to ignore the old wounds but… if his current valentine wanted to know, she must know. Not all but… what she needed to know. A fair trade. If it meant he could have this dear girl in the end._

"_It's true what I said, about it being something the ignorant can't understand. It is a firm bond and link between two midians, but it also adapts and grows depending on the events in the couple's un-lives. However, back then I used the term 'undoable', not 'unbreakable'. That's what happened to me," he revealed._

"_You must understand that Mating with that certain someone isn't like a regular wedding ceremony with simple words and figurative rituals. It goes to our very core and sews them together. It's the very thing. After that you have no desire to depart from that union or that other person. It's also a bond which one can't abuse. Hurting your counterpart means you hurt yourself and vise versa. Same if you hurt yourself you hurt the other," He paused to grant her time to think about what he had just told her. He couldn't explain it better. And he was getting to the most unpleasant part of the subject of answering her question._

"_It's utterly complicated how the bond will be broken, but it never simply just… disappears. It's destroyed by outside factors. And… once it's shattered…" he went silent. He simply didn't want to discuss it anymore._

_She had never seen him like this. Just a moment ago he was taunting her to the brink of rage and now… now he looked like he would shatter from a single touch. It made her appreciate him and his case. She never believed that a day like this would come._

"_You sound broken…" she stated quietly and __sympathetically. He looked upon her just for a moment. "Never mind that," he growled under his breath in response. She looked down at her hands sadly. The sun was casting its final rays before it would disappear behind the horizon. The two vampires sat in silence for a short while as shadows started taking over the county._

"_And what if it won't happen? The bonding. Even if we do it and it won't happen?" she asked quietly._

"_It won't happen if you have doubts on it," he stated just as quietly and bluntly._

_Becoming Mates meant connecting the couple's feelings for each other, connecting their bodies, minds and souls together. The shared blood in the ritual merged the lives together. It wasn't a dictated law that everyone agreed to obey. Once created the bond was a foregone conclusion for the couple as for the other vampires. Mating meant giving yourself to the other and receiving the other one in return. He stopped right there. What was there of himself left to give?_

"_Why would you want to do it? Even if you risk hurting yourself again?" she asked. He couldn't believe his ears._

"_And… out of all people, why with me?" she raised her head to look upon him, meeting his gaze. She was shocked. He was looking at her like she was mad._

_He said nothing. Nothing could be said. He rose from his seat, her eyes following his moving form. He reached under his cloak and pulled something out. The object shined, even in the fading illumination. The girl's eyes widened at the sight of the dragon sculpture made of silver. He set it in her hands._

"_Wha-? You can't-"_

"_I want you to have it," he stated emphatically, cutting her off. "It suits you."_

_The girl looked at the silver dragon in her hands, staring into its two ruby eyes. She tenderly brushed over its metal scales with her thumb. The dragon was coiled up, its wings folded over its body in a protective manner. The dragons head was raised up so that it was gazing right in the centre, over his wings._

"_Usually, I'm the type of man that makes things happen. Simply take what I want. However..," he had a pause in his speech, perhaps trying to imply her how serious he was, revealing this side of himself. "I wish that you would want it also. It's the core demand of the bond we mean to share. As a difference to the other female vampires out there I want to respect you and your wishes." He was quiet for a moment. "I won't force you into anything. Otherwise it's not worth it." His statement stirred her thoughts._

_He lowered his head so that their foreheads were touching. She was trying to avoid his gaze. He lifted her head by setting his fingers under her chin and he captured her lips into a kiss before drawing back. "I know what I want," he stated, like a solemn vow._

_He straightened up; she was steady in her place. "You know where to find me," she heard him say, then he was gone. She was left alone again, with the silver dragon on her lap._

_She knew what the object meant to him. She remembered his angry eyes from years back when she had admired the dragon in his dressing room. He had stormed into the room, taken it, and she had never seen the masterpiece again, until today. She knew what this meant. She blushed._

_Could he..? Could she..? Could they..?_

_He had been so many things to her. A monster. A menace. A guide. A teacher. Some sort of friend. Something… In the end he was her doom… and her savior. He was… And she… felt… She…_

_Crimson tears slid down her cheeks, but she wasn't sad. She was happy. Happy that she had finally reached a conclusion. Things really were so simple when you allowed them to be simple. So obvious._

"_I want to respect you and your wishes, too, because… I…" she spoke. Her words were meant for him, even though he wasn't around. She clutched the dragon in her hands as she quickly rose from the seat, eager to find him. She would say her sentence to him… with the final two words._

_The man had disappeared into the shadows after leaving her. He had quickly reappeared again in his solid form once he was in the forest. He felt like walking today._

_He thought of her. Despite all she had been through she was still so bloody innocent. Her personality had gained somewhat darker overtones but in her core she was the still the same as ever. Trustful, benevolent, gallant, headstrong, silly, energetic and occasionally naïve. Nothing would ever change that, he realized that now._

_He cursed. She was wondering why on earth he would want someone like her. True, this arrangement wasn't idyllic, for either of them. He was wondering on his behalf why she would want a person like him._

_When people looked at him they saw a ridiculously powerful being. Men stood nothing against him. They screamed before him and cursed him before their demise. He laughed bitterly. If they only knew how much he envied them, when he spilled their blood and watched how the spark of life vanished from their eyes. How he envied them. He was left to roam on this earth, to destroy men and watch as they moved to eternal rest right before his eyes. To see in occasions how some of them put up a fight before the finishing blow would be delivered. They knew they had done their best, you could see it in their eyes. The glory of humanity._

_He could never know that. He could only observe. He was here to represent everything that was ugly and cruel in the world. Eternal rest had been denied from him. For that he had himself to blame._

_He was hollow inside. No. He was broken inside. He knew that, despite how he tried to push such thoughts out of his mind. She had been right._

_Someone like him shouldn't love someone like her. Someone like her shouldn't love someone like him._

_But still… they did._

_It was a lost cause. He wasn't sure when, but the battle had been lost long ago._

_It was alright. Once they had collided there was no use to struggle. He thought about the years he had known her. In the end he had to confess, he was really glad that there was someone like her in his un-life. And what had been proven three years ago, he didn't want to let her go. Since there was someone like her in his world, he would gladly carry on._

_He waited for her at the spot sitting on the old fallen tree trunk in the woods not too far from his Castle. It was getting dark and chilly but neither of these mattered to him… or her. This was the place they had met the third time all those years ago. He had saved her from the winter forest and taken her to his Castle for a short keeping. Out of curiosity and for amusement, perhaps. This little opening in the woods had been their secret meeting place ever since for all the years they had known each other._

_Yes, it would happen here. And he knew, somehow he knew, that she would come._

* * *

**Hope you Readers don't get mad at me that I wed Seras to my OC-bloke. This is just the beginning setup (they start building a life together.) Alucard will appear sooner… or later.**

**What? The vampires didn't actually Mate in this chapter? Even though Seras and Gabriel married? What about the whole 'theme' thing?**

**Don't worry folks, the Mating will occur in the next chapter. It suits better there*cough***


End file.
